Vending machine



April 15 1924: 1,490,365

I v A. H. DU GRENIER vzupme MACHINE Filed April 14. 1922 2 mew-sum xEAWJEE 9 A. H DU GRENKEF? VENDING MACHINE Filed Ayril ,4

Patented Apr. 15, 1%.24...

0 FFICE.

ARTHUR H. DU GBENIER, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO. MODERNVENDING MACHINE 00., 0F HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

VENDING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. DU GRE- NIER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and theState of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in VendingMachines, of which the following is a specification. 7

. This invention relates to that class of vending machines which areadapted to deliver small articles loosely contained in a magazine andmore especially shaped in ball form, such as chewing gum or candy. Thetype of machine most generally employed for this purpose, and which isthe type to which this invention more particularly relates, is providedwith a circular disk or drop plate, having a series of circularapertures of a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the ballsto be vended, so that they may pass therethrough, said plate beinglocated in the bottom of the magazine so that the apertures will befilled, and the plate being moved rotatably, step by step, so that theapertures are successively brought into register with a delivery openingin the bottom or base of the machine.

It has been attempted, with this type of machine, to enlarge some of theapertures or compartments in the drop plate, so that, at regularintervals, two or possibly three of the balls will be delivered, forexample, for every fifth coin. inserted, the customer is to receive twoballs instead of one. This construction has, however, been found to beunreliable in operation for the reason that the balls are liable tobecome wedged in the enlarged compartment, so that instead of having aplurality of balls delivered, nothing will be delivered.

The Obj ects of my invention are to provide a machine of the type abovereferred to, which is adapted to deliver a multiple number of balls atpredetermined intervals and which is so constructed that all liabilityof clogging or choking is obviated. Also to provide a construction whichmay be readily readjusted to deliver different quantities of the articleat one time than at another.

I accomplish these objects in the manner hereinafter described and asillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a vending articles 7 machine containingan embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the magazine removed.

Fig. 3 is a'plan view of the base with the drop plate removed.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional vie-w of the base portion on a largerscale.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the drop plate.

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectional views of a portion of the drop plateillustrating the manner of varying the number of articles delivered.

In general outline and construction, the machine is similar to othermachines of this type and comprises a metal base 1, and a glass magazine2 thereon, and in the bottom of which the circular drop plate 3 ismounted to be moved rotatably on a central vertifial rod 4, said platehavinga fiat upper surace.

According to my invention, the drop plate 3 is provided with a series ofcircular chambers or openings 5, which are arranged about and extendinwardly from the periphery of the plate and are of a diameter slightlygreater than that of the balls of gum, or other spherical article to bedelivered. The base is provided with an inwardly projecting circularledge 6 which extends directly beneath the chambers 5, and provides asupporting surface for the articles therein, except at the deliverypoint, at which point an opening 7 is formed in the ledge which opens tothe delivery passage 8. The distance between the surface of the ledge 6and the upper side of the drop plate 3, is approximately equal to thediameter of the balls to be delivered, s0 thateach ball will besupported therein with its uppermost portion at the level of the uppersurface of the plate.

The middle portion of the drop plate is of twice the thickness of itsedge portion, and two circular, supplemental chambers 9 of the samediameter as the chambers 5 are formed therethrough atdiametricallyopposite points, and in radial alignment with two of the chambers 5, thedistance from the top surface of the plate to the fiat base portion 6'directly beneath it, being equal to twice the diameter of the balls tobe vended, so that the chambers thus formed are adapted to receive twoof the balls, one supported directly on theother, the uppermost beingheld in the same relative position to the top surface of the plate asthe balls in the chambers 5.

The opening 7 in the base is extended radially inward, so that eitherchamber 9 will be held in register with its inner portion, when thecorresponding radially disposed chamber 5 is held in register with itsouter portion, and an inclined delivery chute 10 is arranged beneath theinner portion of the base opening in position to deliver the balls,which may fall from chambers 9, into the discharge passage 8. A'guardplate 11 is arranged above and close to the surface of the drop plate 3in such a position that the chambers therein pass beneath it as theymove into discharging position.

Any suitable means for driving the drop plate step by step, may beprovided, the means indicated comprising a handle 12 on a shaft bearingan arm 13 arranged to en gage a driving pawl 14 for the drop plate. Inpractice the driving mechanism is associated with a coin-controlledmechanism, such as shown in my prior Patent #751,231,- 243, but theparticular means for driving the plate constitutes no part of thepresent invention, it merely being essential that the plate be drivenstep by step into its registen ing positions.

The operation is as follows:

Each chamber 5 in the drop plate will receive a single ball from themagazine and the chambers 9 will each receive two, as indicated in Fig.4:, so that each time the drop plate is advanced one step, one ball willfall into the discharge passage and when chamber 9 is moved over thepassage, two additional balls will be delivered thereto, that is, withthe arrangement shown, three balls will be delivered for every fifthcoin which is inserted, and one only will be delivered at other times. 7

In case, however, it is desired to vary the number delivered at thefifth or tenth station, this may be readily done b inserting a plug, as15, in the upper ends 0 the chambers 5 or 9. If only one ball is to bedelivered at all times, both chambers 9 will be plugged. If two are tobe delivered at the fifth station and three at the tenth station, thechamber 5, adjacent one of the chambers 9, will be plugged, as shown inFig. 7. If two extra balls are to be delivered for every tenth coinonly, then one only of the chambers 9 will be plugged, as in Fig. 6, orif one extra ball only is to be delivered for every fifth coin, bothchambers 5 adjacent the chambers 9 will be plugged.

With the above described arrangement, all possibility of clogging, orwedging together of the balls, so as to prevent delivery, is avoided, asonly one ball at atime can pass into'any of the chambers in the dropplate. The readiness with which the machine may nae sea be readjusted tovary the amount of extra articles to be delivered, according toconditions of competition and cost of the articles, is also especiallyadvantageous.

I claim- 1. In a vending machine, a magazine having a base forming thebottom thereof, a delivery plate mounted to rotate on said base about avertical axis and having chambers therein opening at top and bottomthereof, each of a size to cause the articles to be vended to passtherethrough, said chambers comprising a series thereof arrangedcircularly about said axis and a single supplemental chamber at one sideof said series, and separated therefrom, said base having faces thereonarranged to support the articles in said chambers and a dischargepassage opening to each of said faces, each chamber or said series beingarranged to be successively held in register with the entrance to saidpassage, and the supplemental chamber to be held in register therewithwhen one of the chambers of the series is in registering position.

2. In a vending machine, a base having two circular, concentricallyarranged article supporting surfaces and a delivery passage opening toeach of said surfaces, a delivery plate mounted to-rotate about avertical axis on the base over said surfaces and having amagazineopening to the upper side thereof, said plate having a series ofcircularly arranged article receiving chambers therethrough opening attheir lower ends to one of said surfaces and a supplemental articlereceiving chamber likewise opening to the other surface, to support thearticles therein, all of said chambers being circular and of a size tocause the articles to pass singly therethrough, and each chamber of saidseries being arranged to be successively held in register with saiddelivery passage and said supplemental chamber to be held in registertherewith when the adjacent chamber of the series is moved intoregistering position and means for closing the entrance to either saidsupplemental chamber or its adjacent chamber.

3. In a machine for vending spherical articles of approximately uniformsize, a maga zine having a base forming the bottom thereof and havingtwo circular, horizontally disposed supporting faces arrangedconcentrically with relation to a vertical axis and a discharge passageopening to each of said faces, a circular delivery plate mounted torotate about said axis with portions of its under side adjacent saidfaces and havin circular chambers extending therethroug from top tobottom, corresponding in diameter to that of the articles to be vended,to cause said articles to pass singly therethrough, said chamberscomprising a circular series opening to one of said supporting faces anda supplemental chamber opening to the other face, and means whereby thechambers of said series may be successively held in register with theentrance to said discharge passage and said supplemental chamber may beheld in register therewith when one of the chambers of said series is inregistering position.

4:. In a vending machine, a base having two supporting surfacesconcentrically arranged with relation to a vertical axis and a deliverypassage opening to each of said surfaces, a delivery plate mounted onthe base to rotate about said axis over said surfaces, said plate havinga series of circular article holding chambers therethro-ugh circularlyarranged with reference to said axis adjacent the edge of the plate andopening at their lower ends to the outermost of said supporting surfacesand a circular supplemental chamber separated from the other chambersand opening to the innermost of said surfaces, all of said chambersbeing of a diameter to cause the articles to be vended to pass singlytherethrough, the vertical distance from the outermost supportingsurface to the upper side of the plate corresponding to the verticaldimension of said articles, and that from the innermost surface to amultiple thereof, each chamber of the series being arranged to besuccessively moved into register with said delivery passage and thesupplemental chamber to be moved into register therewith when theadjacent chamber of the series is moved into registering position. 7

5. In a machine for vending spherical articles of approximately uniformsize, a magazine having a base forming the bottom thereof and having twocircular, horizontally disposed supporting faces arranged concentricallywith relation to a vertical axis and a discharge passage opening to eachof said faces, a circular delivery plate mounted to rotate about saidaxis with portions of its under side adjacent said faces and havingcircular chambers extending therethrough from top to bot-tom,corresponding in diame ter to that of the articles to be vended, tocause said articles to pass singly therethrough, said chamberscomprising a circular series opening to one of said supporting faces anda supplemental chamber opening to the other face, the vertical distancefrom the upper surface of the disk to one of said faces correspondingapproximately to the length of said diameter and the correspondingdistance to the other of said faces to a multiple thereof, to cause asingle article to be supported in one chamber and a plurality thereof inanother, and means wherebythe chambers of said series will besuccessively held in register with the entrance to said dischargepassage and said supplemental chamber will be held in register therewithwhen one of the chambers of the series is in registering position.

6. In a machine for vending articles of uniform size, a base having twocircular, horizontally disposed faces thereon, one ar ranged about theother in concentric relation with the outermost face and at a distanceabove the level of the other face corresponding to the verticaldimension of the articles, and a discharge passage opening to each face,a circular delivery plate mounted on said base to rotate about an axisat the center of said faces, said plate having a horizontally disposedtop surface and concentric bottom surfaces disposeu respectivelyadjacent said faces and circular chambers extending through said platefrom said top to said bottom surfaces and adapted to cause the articlesto pass singly therethrough, said chambers comprising a regularly spacedseries opening to the outer-most of said faces and a supplementalchamber opening to the inner-most face, the thickness of the portions ofsaid plate over said faces being such that said faces will support asingle article within each chamber of said series and a pluralitythereof within the supplemental chamber, and means for holding thechambers of said series in register with the opening to said dischargepassage successively and for holding said supplemental chamber inregister therewith at the time one of the other chambers is inregistering position. i

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR H. DU GRENIER.

